Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Tolerance to Drought Can Be Improved by Silicon Application |
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| Authors: | Mostafa A Ibrahim Abdel-Rahman M Merwad Elsayed A Elnaka |
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| Institution: | 1. Agronomy Department, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA;2. Soil and Water Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt |
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| Abstract: | The aims of this work were to assess the effect of drought and silicon on rice growth and productivity. A completely randomized design pot experiment with three replications was conducted in a clay soil with five levels of soil moisture content (SMC) (70, 80, 90, 100, and 120% of the soil saturation point) and five rates of Si (0, 2.1, 4.2, 6.3, and 8.4 mg Si/10 plants). When SMC was reduced from 120% to 70%, plant height, rice straw, root yield, and grain yield significantly reduced with 32, 52, 36, and 27%, respectively; however, when Si rate increased from 0.0 to 8.4 mg/10 plants, they significantly increased by 38, 97, 49, and 106%, respectively. At the SMC of 70%, when Si rate increased from 0.0 to 6.3 mg/10 plants, N, P, K, and Si concentrations in straw increased by 42, 59, 36, and 53%, respectively. |
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| Keywords: | Biomass grain roots water use efficiency |
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